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“You are an early pioneer of marijauna” – judge to elderly man

Dominica News Online - Friday, May 13th, 2011 at 7:41 AM

A 66-year-old man was sentenced to pay the court $800 after he was caught with 19 grams of marijuana and 40 cannabis seedlings.

Richard Bruno of Portsmouth appeared before Magistrate Ozzie Lewis at the Roseau Magistrate Court yesterday.

Bruno pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis, cultivation of cannabis and possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

According to the facts of the case, on May 11 police decided to search the home of Bruno while on mobile patrol in the Cotton Hill area. They met Bruno in his yard and informed him that they were interested in performing a search on his premises. They proceeded to do so where they reportedly found 40 seedlings growing in a container on the fridge and 39 grams of cannabis on a toolbox in his living room.

When ask by Magistrate Lewis to make a plea of leniency on his behalf, the defendant, who is a carpenter by profession, told the court, “I am a law abiding citizen of this country. I have five children. It was for my consumption and not for me to sell. I use it for me to make tea.”

The defendant also admitted that he had been using the substance since 1965.

“You are an early pioneer of marijuana, one of the first users in Portsmouth and you have been able to stay away from police for all these years,” Magistrate Lewis told the defendant during the proceedings.

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You are the double even triple standard individual.You gave ur 5 cents piee on Osama and sex now you have a different opinion on something parallel? what kind of research are you doing? In stupidity??? I won’t be surprised.
I suspect u are researching HER not a researcher.

Allow the trees i say allow the trees. Right now we should be looking at legislation to allow but with proper regulations and control, the use of ganja in our society since science and medicine has proven that marijuana, apart from it’s many health benefits, is no greater a danger than many of the other substances that we allow to be used legally and with scientifically proven negative side effects on human health and wellness.

It’s a waste of the countries time and resources to take a man to court over herb destined for personal consumption and greater damage is done to an otherwise productive man by incarcerating him for a little cannabis. What good is a farmer to the state if he is locked away at Stockfarm prisons with no greater crime than being in possession of or smoking herb? of what use will the carpenter be to the state if he is sent up to stocky and will the 8 or 9 hundred dollar fine they may slap on him cover even a fraction of the cost of the courts time to hear his case?

So many more ills in our society and we still losing sleep over a little Meds. Oppression set us against it and now the former oppressors legalizing it and we in our slavish mentally still fighting it.

IN THE WORDS OF THE GREAT PETER TOSH “LEGALIZE IT………..”.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FROM REUTERS BELOW. IGNORE THE “MEDICAL” BEFORE THE MARIJUANA THAT IS JUST TECHNICALITY TO MAKE PROVISION FOR THE REGULATION AND TAXATION OF THE WEED.

Once again why police spending so much dam time and taxpayers hard earned money doing this?There are so many other ways these so called police could be enforcing law and order in D/A.So many unsolved crimes.so much lawlessness and none caused by the smoking of de ganja.Something is very wrong somewhere and the marijuana is not to blame nah.

well i know is not marjuana that have all them paros in ROSEAU the goverment must ease up on d weed.
note.1 ounce of crake cocane in1200 hundred dallars
note.1 ounce of weed is eighty dallars.
ntote. 1 bottle of rum is 15 dallars.
you know what the legal system is clamping down on the weed to bring in the crack thus turning Roseau into a PARO VILLE shame .when ganja was king it was only ugly and mosley who use to be roaming OUR capital city ROSEAU.NOW THERE A DOZENS OF NOT CRAY PEAPLE BUT CRACK COCANE ADICTS ALL AROUND TOWN.IS THAT THE NEW TOURIST ATTRCTION IN ROSEAU NOW .SHAME SHAME.WE NEED TO EASE UP THE MARIJUANA………………….

Once all the facts are known, it becomes clear that Dominica’s marijuana laws need reform. This issue must be openly debated using only the facts. Groundless claims, meaningless statistics, and exaggerated scare stories that have been peddled by politicians and prohibitionists for the last 60 years must be rejected.

Like any substance, marijuana can be abused. The most common problem attributed to marijuana is frequent overuse, which can induce lethargic behaviour, but does not cause serious health problems. Marijuana can cause short-term memory loss, but only while under the influence. Marijuana does not impair long-term memory. Marijuana does not lead to harder drugs.
Marijuana does not cause brain damage, genetic damage, or damage the immune system. Unlike alcohol, marijuana does not kill brain cells or induce violent behaviour. Continuous long-term smoking of marijuana can cause bronchitis, but the chance of contracting bronchitis from casual marijuana smoking is minuscule. Respiratory health hazards can be totally eliminated by consuming marijuana via non-smoking methods, i.e., ingesting marijuana via baked foods, tincture, or vaporizer.

A 1997 UCLA School of Medicine study (Volume 155 of the American Journal of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine) conducted on 243 marijuana smokers over an 8-year period reported the following: “Findings from the long-term study of heavy, habitual marijuana smokers argue against the concept that continuing heavy use of marijuana is a significant risk factor for the development of chronic lung disease.”

Neither the continuing nor the intermittent marijuana smokers exhibited any significantly different rates of decline in lung function as compared with those individuals who never smoked marijuana.” The study concluded: “No differences were noted between even quite heavy marijuana smoking and non-smoking of marijuana.”

Marijuana does not cause serious health problems like those caused by tobacco or alcohol (e.g., strong addiction, cancer, heart problems, birth defects, emphysema, liver damage, etc.). Death from a marijuana overdose is impossible. In all of world history, there has never been a single human death attributed to a health problem caused by marijuana. Legalize marijuana and life would be better for most people.

Warrant-less Entry? He obviously didn’t have a lawyer, because the evidence was obtained illegally… it should be inadmissible in court…Dominica Laws too many exploits that are used to prosecute people not aware of their rights.

that’s serious thing we. i’m looking at t.v and i can work a case or a crime scene better than them dumb officers they have on the force in d/ca. lastweek some officers came with a warrant in a guy house in grand bay the guy has nothing to do with drugs they tell he the name on the warant which was not his name and yet they stayed about three hours searching the guy house and obviously they found nothing. but if it was me i would sue the police department. that’s pure rubbish. i wonder if is only push ups the train them to do.

Bruno you allowed the cops to search your home without a warrant? That is a true indication of the level of ignorance in Dominica. A 66 year old man is totally ignorant of his basic rights under the laws of the land. No wonder why the politicians and crooked lawyers can manipulate the legal and the people are cheering on yeh hee yeh heee.